Abstract- a brief summary of the main point of an article.
Author - The person who writes a book or article.
Call number -The letters and numbers you use to find a book. EXAMPLE: PE1127.L6 C547 2000
Circulating -A book that you can take home from the library (borrow).
Citation- information used to identify or to help locate a book or a magazine article. A journal citation, for example, contains the author's name, title of the article, title of the journal, volume number, date and page number.
Database see Index
Encyclopedia- A collection of information usually in many volumes such as The World Book Encyclopedia or The Encyclopedia Britannica.
Fiction- Something made up, imaginary as literature, short story or a novel.
Fulltext- the complete article, all the words but may not have the pictures unless the article is Full Image also.
Index- a list of articles and/or books generally arranged by subject. Most library indexes are accessed through the internet and may also be called databases. It can also be a list of topics or subjects covered in a book, usually printed at the end of the book.
Journal- a periodical with long articles reporting on original research. These are written for professionals or scholars in the subject.
Librarian -The person you can ask for help in the library. There is always a librarian at the reference desk.
Magazine see Periodical
Media -Things that are not a book or a magazine such as: video, audiotape, CD or computer software. Some of these circulate for three days.
Newspaper- usually a daily publication, but can be weekly, containing reports of events in a city, state or local area.
Non-fiction- A factual or true story such as history, biography, etc.
Online catalog -This is the way to find what is in the Library. It tells you if it is in (available) or out (not available).
Periodical- something published on a regular basis- daily,weekly, monthly- such as a newspaper, magazine or journal.
Reference book -A book of facts that you use to find information. Types of reference books are: dictionaries,atlases, and encyclopedias. These books stay in the Library and have red labels on the spine.
Reference desk -The place where you go to find a librarian and ask for help.
Renew -If you have not finished using the book you take it out again for another three weeks when you renew it.
Reserve -Textbooks or articles that you can use in the Library. At BCC, reserve material is at the Service desk to help you.
Service Desk -The place to check out or return a book. Also where the reserve books are found.
Subject - Words that describe the contents of a book, article or video.
Title -The name of a book, video, article, magazine, or a movie.
Academic integrity -- from the BCC catalog, page 62: “the honest, fair, and continuing pursuit of knowledge, free from fraud or deception.” Violations include: using unauthorized assistance in any academic work, giving unauthorized assistance to another student, fabricating data in support of an academic assignment, and inappropriately or unethically using technological means to gain academic advantage. [http://www.bergen.edu/Documents/Catalog/Catalog-Policies_11-12.pdf ]
Annotated bibliography -- a list of citations including a brief summary and evaluation of each resource listed. Can be either stand-alone, or at the end of a work.
Anthology -- a collection of literary works (essays, short stories, poetry, etc.), usually relating to a specific theme, author, or group of authors.
APA style -- American Psychological Association’s guidelines for citing sources.
Argument -- a series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion, or in support of a thesis statement.
Audio-visual materials -- materials containing sound and/or images, including videos (VHS tapes), DVDs, CDs, or streaming media.
Bias -- being prejudiced to one point of view or perspective over another.
Bibliographic instruction -- formal instruction on the use of library and information resources, usually by a librarian.
Bibliography -- a list of works and/or writings on a particular subject or by a particular author. A bibliography can stand on its own, or be a list of works that an author referred to or consulted during the writing of another work.
Biography -- The story of an individual's life as told/written by another author. An autobiography is the story of an individual's life authored by him or herself.
Book review -- A study or evaluation of a single book. Can be descriptive or critical.
*Boolean operators - most commonly used are: AND, OR, and NOT. They connect search words together to tell a system how to combine those words. Google and some databases automatically insert AND between search words, while in others, you must type connectors between search words.
Bound periodical -- Several issues of a periodical (magazines or journal) bound together in one volume.
Circulating materials -- books and other library materials that can be checked out and taken out of the library.
Citation -- a reference to an item which provides enough bibliographic information for someone to locate that item. These items document sources and also serve as evidence for arguments in published materials.
Controlled vocabulary -- keywords or subjects that are pre-assigned to be used in a database or other collection of information for indexing. Similar to a thesaurus.
Copyright -- the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the matter and form of something (as a literary, musical, or artistic work.
Dewey Decimal System of Classification -- a system of organizing materials in the library by subject. This system is used by most public and school libraries in the US. It is less complex than the Library of Congress classification.
Database -- an online index to articles within magazines, newspapers, and/or journals (e.g. Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Research Library, ERIC)
Dissertation -- a thesis on a particular topic, usually involving in-depth original scholarly research, completed by a student as a requirement for completion of a doctoral degree (Ph. D.)
E-book -- an electronic book that is viewable online, or downloadable to a computer or portable eBook reader.
Electronic reserves -- articles, book chapters, and other items that a professor has asked the library to make available in the library’s online catalog for a particular class.
Ethical use of information -- including citations in work and not engaging in plagiarism.
Government documents -- publications of federal, state, and local governments, courts, and legislative bodies.
Holdings -- another word for the library's collection. Can be searched using the library catalog.
Information literacy -- the set of skills that permit an individual to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” [American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report.
(Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.)] http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.htm
An information literate individual is able to:
· Determine the extent of information needed
· Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
· Evaluate information and its sources critically
· Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
· Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
· Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally
[Information literacy competency standards for higher education. (2000). Retrieved 5-24-2011 from http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/standards.pdf]
Intellectual property -- the product of an individual's creation or research. Usually protected by copyright once it has been recorded in any format.
Internet -- an electronic communications network that connects computer networks around the world.
Interlibrary loan -- a library service that will contact other libraries to obtain articles and books that our library does not own (frequently abbreviated as “ILL”). ILL requests can be made through the form on the library homepage: http://sslopac.bergen.edu/screens/ill.html
Invisible web -- the portion of the Internet that is not findable or accessible through search engines or browsing. This includes sites requiring logins, proprietary databases (such as those subscribed to by the library), intranets, and many subscription-based services.
Keywords -- words that describe the topic to be researched. Keywords can be used as search terms in a database or search engine.
Library database -- a database that our library owns or subscribes to, such as the online catalog, ProQuest Research Library, Academic Search Premier, and others listed on the library home page. Access is limited to current students, faculty, and staff with a BCC ID number.
Library of Congress classification -- a system of organizing materials in the library by subject so that all the resources on the same general topic are on the shelves together. This type of organization allows you to browse the shelves for more information. It was developed by the Library of Congress and it is used in most academic libraries in the US.
Library research -- using sources such as books and articles to collect information on a topic. This is different from primary research because no original experiments or tests are performed in library research.
Licensed database -- a database that requires a fee-based subscription for access. Content may not be accessed by Internet search engines. The library subscribes to dozens of licensed databases. (See library database)
MLA style -- Modern Language Association’s guidelines for citing sources.
OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) -- a searchable database of what the library owns and has access to, such as books, e-books, periodicals, reserves, and databases.
Oversize -- refers to books larger than standard and do not fit on regular-sized bookshelves. Oversized books are on the library’s upper floor.
PDF (Portable Document Format) -- an electronic file format that is used to distribute copies (scanned or original) of an item as it appeared when published in print. You can read PDF files by using Adobe Acrobat Reader, freely available on the Adobe web site <http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html>
Peer-reviewed -- items which have been examined by experts in a field, in an effort to ensure quality. Experts look for accuracy, completeness, scholarship, and use of appropriate and up to date supporting evidence. (Also called "refereed.")
Periodical index -- a publication or database that lists magazine, journal and newspaper articles, and may also provide some online. Some also list books, book chapters, essays, dissertations, conference papers, etc. Important note: Many online databases are licensed for use by specific groups or individuals and may not be available to the general public.
Plagiarism -- using another person's work, ideas, and/or words as if they were your own.
Popular sources -- books and/or magazine articles written for the general public.
Primary source – document containing the results of experiments or original research (authored by the individual[s] doing the research), literary works, autobiographies, original theories, and other materials.
Record -- information about an item that is organized in data fields and is searchable. The library’s online catalog and databases are composed of records.
Refereed journal or publication -- (see "peer-reviewed journal")
Reference -- this term has more than one meaning in a library:
· Asking general or research questions at the reference desk (in-person) or digital reference (online).
· A source that is cited on a works cited or references page. For example, the bibliography page in APA style is titled References.
· A reference book is one that must be used in the library. Examples of reference books include encyclopedias, handbooks, and multi-volume works.
Research question -- a starting point for research, the research question is based on specific information to look for regarding a topic. The research question is relevant to the thesis or information need and should not be too broad or too narrow. [http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852569c2005a47b7 ]
Reserves -- library items that faculty have on hold for their students. Loan periods are typically 2-hours.
Scholarly -- (see "peer-reviewed") journals
Search engine -- a specific type of Internet search tool that uses a computer program called a spider to gather information from the Internet and index it for later retrieval. Examples are Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Search statement -- a combination of search commands and terms entered into a search engine's or database's search boxes. Which combination you enter determines your results.
Search strategy -- a plan for how to conduct research. A search strategy includes which databases, indexes, and other sources to search, which keywords and subject headings to use, and how to use these terms with the sources.
Search terms -- keywords and subject headings that will be used in databases, indexes, and other sources when conducting research.
Search tools -- a generic term that includes all types of Internet search tools, including search engines, directories, and metasearchers.
Secondary source -- Sources compiling or critiquing original works. Examples of secondary sources include literary criticism, biographies, encyclopedia articles, and journal articles critiquing the work of others.
Serials -- (see "periodicals")
Style manual -- publications listing and describing strict guidelines for writing research articles, essays, and bibliographies. Many professional fields have their own style manuals. Style manuals are important because they insure consistency among publications.
Subject -- (see "subject headings")
Subject headings -- words carefully selected by cataloguers to identify and describe the content of an item (i.e., books and articles).
Thesis -- either referring to the statement to be supported by an argument in a research paper, or the research paper itself as written in completion for a higher education degree (usually Masters or Ph. D.)
Trade publication – a publication written specifically for those employed in or studying a particular field. Examples include Library Journal and Psychology Today.
Truncation -- a "wild card" symbol. It tells the system to search for items that begin with or come in the middle of a string of characters (e.g., child* searches for child, children; wom?n searches for woman or women.) Important Note: Different databases may use different truncation symbols. Check the online help for details.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) -- the web address of a resource or file available on the Internet.
Visible web -- sometimes referred to as the "surface web," consisting of freely available sites that can be found by search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, etc. See also invisible web.
World Wide Web -- The part of the Internet that can be accessed through a graphical user interface (i.e. web browser)
Sources Consulted:
· https://sites.google.com/site/teachinfolit/
· http://www.ycp.edu/library/ifl/glossary.html
· http://www.farmingdale.edu/library/gloss.html
· http://library.mcneese.edu/tutorial/glossary.htm
· http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/page/381
· Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (accessed via Gale Literature for Students Online)
Additional Terms: